Our 2011 Trend Report Is Better Than Yours

This was a good year for booze, fried food, and cavemen. As the economy remained shaky, people sought comfortable, hearty fare: beer, burgers, pasta. Street food stuck it out, with vendors expanding into new ethnicities. There were new, creative things, to be sure, and you’ll find them below. But by and large, nostalgia reigned. See what the big trends were for 2011, and our predictions for 2012.

2011 TRENDS

1. Aged Cocktails
A bunch of different liquors mixed together, aged in a barrel, and poured into your glass. Like this.

1. Wine in Bulk
Take a big jug to the store and get a refill of wine. Hey, they do it in France, so why not here?

2. Hamburger Helper
The economy is crappy, and it probably will remain crappy. What’s not a downer about that? More restaurants reinventing blue-collar money-savers like meatloaf, Sloppy Joes, and Cincinnati chili.